Captain’s Blog: Stardate 91818.2

I had forgotten how much I love driving. Commuting via bus, train, and shoe leather these past ten years, I still have not found a way to stay as present as I am while driving. My mind tends to wander when I was on the Brown Line for an hour and, as much as I’d like to say I am a master of mindfulness, these thoughts had a habit of compounding each other.

Something happens when I’m driving, though. Especially when the traffic is moving well. When I did have a car in Chicago, there was something magical about driving just a bit over the speed limit, windows down, music going, wind making it’s way through my hair.

Yesterday, I assumed a lease for my first car in at least five years. Even when I had a car in my household, my ex-husband used it primarily to get to the suburbs for work. So, it had been the CTA for me for nearly ten years, with rare exception.

Fair is a new app that provides the user with the option to lease a car, at a great price, on an “as needed” basis. The payments are monthly, but with five days notice, the car can be returned at any time. Any days paid for will be prorated back to the user

Once your information is approved, you can search in your desired area by type, price, and a few other filters. Select, check boxes for certain “upgrades,” and follow the remaining prompts. There’s even an option for insurance provided by Fair. Some leases start before tax at under $200.

So, I am now the proud leaser of a 2017 Hyundai Accent that is one of my favorite shades of blue. In my family, the naming of cars is is pretty standard. My mother’s car is named Finn. The car I got my senior year of college I names Weyoun 9. (Please comment and let me know if you get the numerical reference).

﻿Unfortunately, most of them are grey, and one is copper. But ONE is blue, and he’s this handsome, hyper-masculine cowboy with a red ‘kerchief and cowboy hat. He plays a mean riff on the guitar. So, “Bluegrass” it is. He moves well, doesn’t get great gas mileage, but he’s mine.

And especially since I was so eager to get to a SAG-AFTRA workshop on New Media Contracts SO early that I arrived 25 hours before it started, we got to know each other quite well yesterday. He’s got a USB interface for my iPhone to keep it both charged and play my music directly. I bought a dashboard stand to hold my phone for navigation.